Sonic Origins Book 2
by Artistic-Resonance
Summary: Ember sacrificed herself to save everyone from further chaos, but will Shadow see no limits to have her back? Rated T for epic violence & Drama! :D
1. Prolouge

My head felt dizzy and my eyes were watering. My skin was sticky and hot. I felt nauseous.

I was lying on my back, and I turned over onto my knees and elbows, throwing up onto the ground below me. It took me a minute before I realized the hotness for real. Looking around, I became nauseous again and hurled. With my stomach empty, I took another gaze. I was in a fiery city. Buildings caught on fire and flames flickering about. I could feel my eyes watering and my heart pounding.

I was afraid, and a thought ran through my mind. I tightened the cuffs on my wrists, and I darted up, levitating above the flames. But a stray hit my leg, leaving me flinching, and a horrid burn on my leg.

I rested atop a building that wasn't ablaze, and I healed myself. I looked around and almost cried in fear.

_What do I do now?_


	2. What Do I Do Now?

I ran down the corridor next to Sonic and Blaze. My boots pounded as I bounded. We had been searching for at least a half hour and we couldn't locate Shadow or Ember. My heart thrummed inside my chest. I suddenly stopped and pricked up my ears. Sonic and Blaze stopped dead in their tracks.

Blaze walked over to me and put her hand on my shoulder. "What is it Silver?"

I pointed to a door on the side of us at the end of a hallway. "Over there, I heard something."

Sonic immediatly rushed over and the door burst down. Me and Blaze ran in to see a bloody Shadow, sitting on the floor, unconcious, with his hands tied behind his back. Sonic knelt beside him and shook his shoulder. "Hey'a Shadow, buddy, wake up."

Shadow's eyes immediatly darted open. "Ember!" He screamed. Then his gaze focused and he saw us. Sonic cut the rope and he darted up. He looked as if he had a hint of hope was in his eyes, but it soon faded.

"Shadow, where's Ember?" Blaze asked, her gold eyes filled with worry.

Shadow grabbed his head and shook it. "She-She sacrificed herself, and...and...I couldn't do a thing..."

My heart skipped a beat, seeming to stop. Tears built up in my eyes and I ran out of the little room. I heard Blaze calling my name, but I ignored it. I ran out side and dropped to my knees, my tears falling into the grass. I screamed and pounded my fist into the ground, scraping mud onto my gloves. My heart felt like it had cracked. I was frusterated, upset, devestated, and too many emotions to count.

I felt someone's footsteps behind me. I stood up and turned to see Blaze. I ran over to her before she started to cry as well. I hugged her close and held the back of her head as she cried onto my shoulder. She didn't cry often, but this was genuine sadness.

"She hates us Silver, that makes it worse. She spoke to me in such a way that let me know she didn't love us, or wanted to have anything to do with us! More importantly, she wouldn't be gone now if we hadn't come!" She sobbed.

All I want to do is see my daughter happy, I want to know her again. That's really all I want. But apparently the universe didn't want that.

...

I was kneeled over, my hands balled up on the floor. I ignored the fact that my stomach was killing me, I didn't care if it was dripping blood. Tears were falling from my eyes, making dripping noises on the cold metal.

"Why..." I said. I stood up and swung around, punching the wall behind me. I pulled my fist back to see the metal twisted and dented, the mold of my fist in the wall.

"I lost her, just like Maria."

Maria's voice rang in my ears as I said her name. I tried to take a grip on myself, but the memories flooded back.

_"Shadow, those people need you Shadow."_

I gripped my ears and fell to the floor, trying to block it, but it broke through.

_"P-Promise me Shadow, that you'll become...f-friends with people...and...h-help them."_

Her voice echoed in my ears and faded. I uncovered my ears and cried. "Maria, I will help people, and I have like you said, I will do better now than I ever have before."

I stood up and wiped my eyes with my hand. My shoes were silent as I walked over to the portal, or, what was left of it. It was dead, no energy to power it up again. I rested my hand along the rim and rubbed off some of the dirt, making gray spots on my gloves.

I left the room, my hand over my bandaged torso. The machine was still humming when I left.

...

I walked through the door and Amy immediatly ran over to me, her eyes full of worry. "Where is Ember, Shadow? Is she outside?"

I stared at her for a moment before I blinked back tears, brought on my my failure to save her. I just brushed past her and went up the stairs, ignoring everything around me. Walking into my room and slammed the door behind me, making the house shudder. I walked over to the window and seated myself on the windowsill, resting my head on the cool glass. I stared out the window, watching gray clouds roll in. A few seconds later, rain was flowing down the outside of the window like millions of rivers.

My thoughts were resurrecting themselfs and making me visualize what I had witnessed just hours ago. Chills ran up my spine as I remembered the look on her face before she jumped. Her golden eyes were calm, but fierce and brave. She looked afraid to go, but had the look like she knew she had to.

I felt something in my heart. Pure fear. But I was too tired to stay awake.

My eyelids started to get heavy, and I closed them and fell asleep leaning on the window.


	3. Resurrection

I was down in the kitchen, making breakfast for myself after I had woken up. I had sat up in my room awake for several hours during the night before falling asleep, my grief tearing at me little by little every passing minute. A sudden bang at the door made me jump. I looked at the clock, and read that it was four-fifty two.

God, who is here at this time of night?

I put down a cup I had in my grasp and shuffled to the door. I swung it open irritatedly and saw Silver standing before me. His eyes full of anger. I stepped out and closed the door behind me softly, making sure the click wasn't loud. I stepped off the porch and onto the grass, sizing up to Silver, who was slightly shorter. He looked at me with pure hatred.

"What do you need?"

Silver gestured towards me before he spoke. "You left my daughter, you let her slip away! What kind of man lets a girl sacrifice herself? You could have saved her! But what did you do? You decided to lay low and let her go! HOW CAN YOU LIVE WITH YOURSELF KNOWING YOU COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING?"

His fury unleashed and he shoved me back. I suddenly became alert. Clenching my fists, I growled, and then yelled, "You wanna go? COME AT ME BRO!"

Sonic suddenly came out of the door distracting me. He looked as us with confusion. "What is goin' on?"

Silver shot him a look before taking a sudden swing at me. I ducked and kicked his legs out from under him, making him slam his face into the wet dirt. He jumped back up and before I could react, he swung and hit me square in the jaw. I felt a crackling in my mouth as I tasted blood welling up in my mouth. I shoved him back and as he wobbled, I reared up and kicked him in the chest, sending him back to the ground. I felt a hand grasping my arm and I looked over to see Sonic, his green eyes panicked. "Stop this Shadow; it doesn't have to be this way."

I shoved past him, ignoring his words. "Ya? Well Silver doesn't have to be such a sissy."

I walked over to Silver, who was holding his hand to his chest, as if I had stabbed him. He stood up and faced me, his hand now at his shoulder. I lifted up my hand for another blow, and I stopped.

A sudden burst of energy sent both me and Silver flying back from where we stood. I landed on my feet and covered my eyes from the blinding light, then, I felt a warm presence around us. I opened my eyes and my heart almost stopped. A familiar figure was standing there, kind of. Their body and features were outlined in a light and starry magenta, while the rest of their body was lighter and transparent. White sparks were flying off of them at every rise and fall of their chest.

My knees wobbled and almost gave out under me. I stumbled over to the figure, just inches away from touching them. A tear rolled down my cheek as I stared in amazement. "E-E-Ember? Y-You're alive?"

Her eyes closed slowly and she slightly shook her head. Her arm reached out and her delicate fingers brushed my cheek as she opened her eyes, which were brimming with tears. "I miss you all so much; I wish I had never left." She pulled her hand away and balled it up, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry I made you sad, but Mephiles can bother you no more, Shadow, or anyone else."

Turning to Silver, she cracked her knuckles and growled. "Who do you think you are worrying about me now, Silver? You and Blaze are NOT my mother and father. If you wanted that to be true, you shouldn't have abandoned me."

Silver walked closer to her and she narrowed her eyes, folding her arms over her chest. Even though she wasn't really there, she was. It warmed my heart to see her fragile figure standing before me, but it hurt me wondering how. The aura around her darkened as he got closer, making me uneasy.

"Ember, I know you're mad at me, but listen. We sent you away because-"

"I don't want to hear it!" She snapped. The aura turned red and her eyes turned diamond white, making her look possessed, but I knew she was angry. She clenched her fists and looked at him. "If I come back to you all, you and Blaze better watch yourselves. I swear to god Silver, touch Shadow or anyone else one more time..." She punched her fist into her hand, "You're going to get worse than anything you have ever experienced before. I don't care if I'm related to you or not! Understand me?"

Silver backed away and walked down the sidewalk to where he and Blaze were staying. I heard the door slam and I looked back to Ember's figure, which was magenta again. She lifted her hand to her face and giggled lightly. "Shadow, I'm sorry about him. Are you alright?"

I shook my head and walked towards her. I looked into her eyes and she smiled, her eyes glistening.

"Ember, where are you? I need you back here, with me!" I begged.

Her gaze looked lost, but her gaze was still focused on me. "I don't know where I am. Don't come after me Shadow, it's for the best."

Just as she finished, her image began to fade. I looked at her before her body was completely gone, and said. "I will bring you back Ember, I love you, and the only thing that is impossible is impossibility itself. And it's not impossible to bring you back."


	4. Realization

After a few days of working in the lab with Tails, we created a space travel system, but we had a problem, we didn't know how to start it up. I sat frusteratedly at a workbench, wathing Tails screw in a few bolts. Sonic walked in the room and looked at me. "You okay from the other night Shad?"

I nodded.

He smirked and swung his gaze to Tails. "Any luck?"

Tails shook his head.

He turned to me and put his hand on my shoulder. "We all know that you want her back now Shadow, but I don't think that just sitting here is doing anything."

His words were as irritating as mosquitos. I irritatedly tapped my fingers on the wooden bench. Narrowing my eyes, I retorted. "Well why don't you just go play dress up with Amy? I'm sure she would love it, or comment her on her makeup."

Sonic looked at me and I scowled. "Don't even give me crap when you at least have the one you care about with you. First I lost Maria, I'm NOT gonna lose Ember too."

Sonic narrowed his eyes back at me and went for the door. "Whatever Shadow, I was just suggesting."

My temper got to me. I took out a revolver and shot at the door after he left. Tails ducked down under the desk and I stopped. I had left five bullet marks on the solid oak door, the bullet shells littered the concrete floor.

I dropped the gun and stood still.

What did I just do? I need to control myself... Before someone gets seriously hurt.

I shook my head and stepped over the desk slowly and reached out my hand to Tails. "I'm sorry Tails, want some help?"

He nodded and took my hand, letting me help hoist him up. He brushed his tails off and sat back in the desk. We had been sitting there for a few minutes before I felt something was wrong. My hair stood on edge and I stiffened like a stick. I heard a faint, ghost like scream. It wasn't from anyone I knew but...

What the..?

It was like it was coming from the different dimension again. I was wondering why I couldn't see anything, and then I did. It was a faint view. I saw a shadowed figure standing on a ledge, and something pushing them back by coming closer. My heart thrummed against my chest as I saw them take one step back, and the ledge cracked off.

There was a shrill scream, and then a miracle. They pulled something that glowed blue out of their pocket, held it up, and dissapeared, no longer falling off the ledge.

The hair that had been on edge went back down, and I opened my eyes to see Tails still sitting at the workbench.

I didn't know why I didn't realize sooner. It could have led to her being here sooner.

I pulled his chair back and he looked at me. "Tails, do you have something I could use to find a Chaos Emerald?"

Tails shook his head. "No, I'm sorry Shadow, I think maybe Sonic has one actually, why?"

I opened the door and walked out. "Because it will save her."

I kicked the door in and Sonic jumped off the couch. "SHADOW WHAT THE-"

"Save it blue boy, where's the Chaos Emerald?"

"It's under my bed. Why do you need it?"

"I realized that I could use Chaos Control to go and save her."

Sonic's expression brightened and he went to get it. He came back with a yellow gem in his hand. "I'll give this to you on one condition; If I can come with you. I have always wanted to visit more places."

I hesitated then nodded. "Fine, give me the emerald."

He placed it in my hand, the yellow light reflecting off the walls.

"CHAOS CONTROL!" I yelled. We were gone in a flash, to a different dimension.


	5. Adventure to the City

A/N

Sorry haven't updated in a while. I just have alot of other things going on at the moment. End of the schoolyear, finals, stuff like that. Whatevs, enjoy.

Chapter 5

When I went through that shift, I could feel hot and cold, see black and white. Everything was spinning through my mind and around me. I felt dizzy, which was a usual side effect of using a chaos emerald for chaos control. I felt my feet land on solid ground, and I opened my eyes. I was blinded my red, orange, and black everywhere. There were building that were long past being abandoned, burning into ashes. There was debris falling chunk by chunk off of buildings and there was no living thing to be seen. I knew that this could only be one place.

"Sonic..."

I looked over to my right and Sonic was sitting down on the ash, seeming to be in a daze. "Y-Y-Yea?"

I cleared my throat and said, "We're in Crisis City."

...

We had walked for some way without seeing anyone. There was just fireballs, ashes, and lava. I felt queasy just thinking about what those ashes came from. They might have been from a little kid, who was suddenly engulfed in flames from a fireball, or a pet that was just minding it's own business, when it was caught in lava. I watched where I placed my feet, being careful about my surroundings. I only wanted to find what I was looking for, and leave, but this was dragging on for what seemed like forever.

I could feel tension thick in the air like fog, and it was humid like a sauna. I didn't give up on my trek through the abandoned city, despite the fact of the lonely faces of skeletons' empty eye sockets looking at me. Or so that is what it seemed.

We came to a stop at a ledge. There was a large crack in the earth, revealing a river of flowing, hot magma. I peeked over the edge, only to jerk my head backwards, avoiding an unwelcome burst of lava. I folded my arms and gazed aimlessly at the other side.

"Shadow, why are we just standing here?"

I sighed. "I have a feeling Sonic... I feel like.. she's just across here... but it seems the earth is completely split. I don't think we can get across..."

I looked in the distance to a bulk of buildings at my far right, then my far left. Sonic must have known what I was thinking.

"I'll go to the left, you go right. We'll meet up here in about an hour. If one of us isn't here, go look for them on their side." He said backing up into the other direction. I nodded, then he turned around and sped away like a blue streak of lighting. I slowly made my way into the suburbs of the abandoned city, expecting to hear a noise. But all was silent.

"Ember!" I called out, my voice ringing throughout the streets. I kept walking, then suddenly heard something smashing together. My eyes were blinded by the light of the fire as I looked up at a skyscraper, with the roof falling into itself.

I couldn't think straight as I raced up the flight of stairs and got to the top. The roof had stopped collapsing and there was rubble everywhere. My eyes searched the pile to find something that I didn't want to find; Ember's ruby red hair band, crushed to bits.

…

I picked up the pieces of the red hairpiece in my hands and stared in disbelief. She couldn't possibly be dead. She can't be gone. I suddenly stopped and pricked up my ears.

The next thing I knew, I was pinned on my back by an unknown person. The shadows hid their face from my view. Until she moved her hair out of her eyes. With her pocket knife glistening in the light, pointing at my chest.


	6. Meeting Akito and William

I glared at the girl above me. "What do you think you're doing?" I asked. I pushed her off and she tumbled to the ground. I stood up and looked at this girl. Her hair was in a ponytail, held in by a thick black hair-tie Her hair was light blond, with black tips. Her eyelashes were tiny little stubbles, and her eyes were a bright ocean blue. She wore a orange tee-shirt, a skirt that fades from black to green, and knee-high socks. Her shoes were gold and green high-tops, and her gloves were white, with gold rings, and a green extention that went a little up the wrist. Her outfit was extremely unusual, especially for the hot climate of this world.

"You need to get out of here. This is MY part of town, along with my partner. But he is out on patrol."

She said meanly.

"Well just who do you think you are?" I retorted.

"Me? I think I'm Akito the Hedgehog, that's who, the only girl left in all of what's left of Soleanna!"

I huffed under my breath. "Not really..."

"Wait, who else is there? I've never seen any other girl here! Who is she?"

I started to turn and walk down the flight of stairs. "Just great, looks like you haven't seen her then."

Akito raced in front of me. "What does she look like?"

I kept walking while I told her. "She has gold eyes, violet hair, green shirt, blue skirt."

Akito nodded. "Well okay then, see you later!"

She then jumped down the middle of the swirl of stairs, landing in the middle downstairs. I just kept walking. I wondered. Why did she think she was the only girl in Soleanna? And who is her partner?

Walking outside the building, I kept walking all the way to the heart of the city. I looked around me, and there was nothing besides buildings covered in ash. Pondering my thoughts, I walked into what used to be a town square. There was an old, cracked, broken up fountain, but no cool water was pouring from the now broken spouts. There was a cliff to the left of me, which if you fell off, you would fall into a large pool of lava. I almost sat down, when something caught my eye. I walked over towards the other side of the fountain. I heard someone shuffling up behind me, and I swiftly turned on my heel. Before my eyes could register what I was seeing, I saw a purple blur and a brown blue in front of me, and a familiar voice.

"Get out of here!"

My eyes saw before, me, Ember, with her arms out protecting me from a man. His hair was shaggy and in his eyes, with the blackish ends like Akito. He was wearing dog tags, a hoodie, army pants, and army boots. His tail was lashing and he looked irritated.

"He's an intruder to my area! I promised Akito I would keep this place safe!"

She scoffed. "Well, I don't know who Akito is, nor do I CARE about her. I KNOW this person, and if you even do so much as touch him, you're gonna be in for a world of pain."

A yellowish blur fell from nowhere, to be Akito. Her eyes widened when she saw me. "Shadow? What are you doing here?"

Ember looked back at me. "You know this girl?"

I shrugged. "Sort of."

The boy cracked his knuckles. "Let's get this going. I'm dying to punch this guy and this chick to the ground."

The girl put her arm in front of him and narrowed her eyes at him. "William, you don't need to do that."

He grinned. "Shut up Akito, I want some action." He started running towards us and I jumped in front of Ember. He couldn't stop in time and I punched him in the gut, making him slid back a little. He got back up and ran at us again. This time, I picked up Ember, and moved out of the way. He missed us and got extremely frusterated. I suddenly realized something. _Why isn't Ember using her powers or anything? She usually tries to fight back..._

I looked at her and she was beat up. Her eyes were dull. There was a bruise on the apple of her cheek. Her braces were slightly cracked. Her shirt was ripped up on the stomach and her skirt's hem was torn, and many cuts lined on her legs, with scrapes on her knees. I noticed her cuffs weren't glowing like they usually did, and I realized they were broken. The line in the middle had shattered, leaving no way for her to use her powers. Then her eyes were suddenly alert and she ran towards him, kicking him in the face and sending him flying. My jaw dropped. He got up again and ran back towards her. She grinned slightly and dodged his hit, then used her elbow to harshly use the end of her elbow to knock his head so hard he went into the ground face first. She was about to walk back over to us, when William grabbed her ankle, then pulled her back. It wasn't that she tripped, of landed on her bottom that made me scream. He had tossed her over the edge into the fiery inferno.


	7. Lies, Lies, Lies

I ran to the edge, my heart pounding inside my chest. I looked over and my eyes darted. There were cliffs, but I couldn't see her on any.

"Ember?!" I yelled.

"Shadow!"

I looked over the edge again, and realized she was slightly out of my view. Her life was hanging by a spider's silk, her tiny fingers the only things holding her from falling to her death. She was grasping a rock sticking out of the side with all her might. "Shadow!"

I reached my hand down and it was about three feet away from her. "Ember listen," I said. "try to use what you have left of your Psychokinesis and pull yourself up. I'll grab your hand!"

She shook her head. "I can't! I can't do that! Once my cuffs break it's over!"

"Just try Ember! Try!"

Her fingers started shaking, and she grunted, trying to stay up. Then, her fingers slipped.

"EMBER!" I screamed, reaching out my hand to nothing. I looked into her scared eyes as she fell. I suddenly noticed. Her braces were cracking. She fell into the lava, and it devoured her as she screamed bloody murder. I felt a tear roll down my cheek. "Ember..." I was helpless. I couldn't do a thing.

I backed off the edge and faced William, who had gotten up and stood next to Akito. I clutched my fist, a few more tears rolling down my cheeks. "Y-You did this... It's YOUR fault! NOW YOU'RE GONNA SUFFER LIKE SHE DID!"

I was about to go push him onto the ground and punch him multiple times until he didn't look the same. But the ground began to rumble. We were all sent to the ground, and fire flew up everywhere.

I heard William yelp and I looked over at him, then lost my breath.

"Did ya miss me William? Well I know no one is gonna miss you!"

It was Ember, but she was completely different. Her fur was sparkling gold, and her eyes dark violet. Her shirt and skirt morphed together to make a blue dress. Her sleeves and leggings were green. Her silky hair was longer and her quills were shorter. Her sleeves had little braces on her arms too, as well as her waist and neck, which they were still there.

She was gripping his throat, choking him. "You dare throw me in the lava? I'll burn your throat out you little retard!"

Burn?

Her cuffs began to glow, and I knew what she meant by burn, but I was too surprised to do anything.

Fire flowed from her fingertips and around his neck, leaving burn marks and making him plead for mercy. She laughed and picked him up, throwing him against a rock. "If you ever do anything like this ever again. You're DEAD. I MEAN it."

Her eyes closed and her fur was fading back to violet, and her outfit was returning to normal too. She fell and I caught her. I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed. But one thing was for sure; this was one special girl.

…

I looked over at William, who was scared beyond belief. "G-Get her away from me! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Ember moved in my arms and I sat her down, sitting behind her to support her. Her eyes were normal when they opened. "What happened?"

I smiled. "You went full out on William, burned his throat."

Her eyes widened and she scrambled to her feet. "I-I can't burn anyone! What really happened Shadow? Tell me!"

I crossed my eyes at her while I stood up, looking directly into her amber eyes.. "What, do you think I'm LYING? Your braces cracked and you fell in! I'm positive!"

She clutched her fists tightly. "Yes, because I can't do that!" Her cuffs were unbroken, and they were glowing brightly. "I'm a Psychokinetic for sure! I can't be anything else! I don't believe it!"

I huffed. "Well I wonder if Blaze and Silver know what it is..."

Her pupils became slits at the mere name of them. "What, like they will know? They wouldn't have payed attention to these stupid braces!" She hissed. Her hair bounced as she turned on her heel, running away. I was about to yell to her, but Akito put her arm in front of me. "Let her go Shadow."

"But I need to-"

"No." She said , her expression very serious. "It seems to me she needs to think about things for a few hours before you go after her."

"But-"

"Trust. Me." She said angrily. "I swear, men never listen. That reminds me,"

She turned around and walked towards William, who was getting up onto his feet, rubbing his burns. She lifted her foot, and kicked him back down. She placed her weight on his stomach, trapping him there. "I swear William, you never listen, one of these days, it's gonna mean the end. Do anything like this again, and I'll make sure of it."

She took her foot off him and he stood up, then sat on the rock, rubbing his neck again.

I smiled. I knew what she meant.

…

I could feel my pulse in my ears as I slowed down, being far away from where the incident occurred just minutes ago. Tears were pouring out of my burning eyes. I collapsed to my knees on a broken stone bridge, with bricks lining the burnt edge. My tears were dripping down onto the hot ground as I cried.

"This can't be happening... why me?"

Then, another flashback hit me, making me cry harder.

"_Mommy?" I sniffed. "Daddy? Hello?"_

_It was dark and I stood in my little Mary Jane shoes, my stockings dirty, and my dress torn, the bows slightly burned. My cheeks were tear stained, and my eyes began to water as I looked around. I was alone in a vast cornfield, and it was dark as ink outside. The air was crisp and cold, making me sneeze. Crows fluttered about and I shivered, hugging myself and I started walking._

_After awhile, I couldn't walk anymore. Stumbling upon a patch of grass, I rested my head and I sobbed._

"_I'm all alone... everyone is gone..." I sniffled and tried to sleep, but I couldn't, and I kept thinking._

"_M-My mommy and daddy don't love me anymore..."_

_I sat up and ran my fingertips over the edge of the blades of green grass. Pulling my hands up and setting them on my lap, I looked at the back of them. My gloves didn't have a single scratch lined on them. Daddy was right, they would never break or rip._

_I lied on my back, and looked up at the stars. They somehow comforted me and I fell asleep, thinking._

_Mommy... Daddy..._

…

I clutched my fists in rage and I stood up, tears making a river down my cheeks. I gritted my teeth and squeezed my eyes shut in anger. "They let me down... how could he think that they would understand?"

I looked up and gazed across the bridge, to see a large building. Realizing something, it felt like a brick had just dropped into my stomach.

It was a castle, the most intact building in the entire city. Some pillars and towers were gone, but the rest seemed fine. I flew across the bridge, my feet landing on the unstable bricks. I stumbled upon a big stone, the flat side covered in ash. I blew some off and wiped the rest onto the burned ground, not that it would make a difference. There were inscribed into the somewhat clean marble surface.

I read aloud to myself.

"_This castle was proud to be built_

_for King Silver, Queen Blaze, and_

_Princess Ember._

_Finished- September 19__th__, 2212"_

I couldn't help but choke on air. "Eggman wasn't lying..."

That was when I lost it.

I screamed at the top of my lungs, my adrenaline rushing and coming out of the little part of me that was hidden until recently. I kicked the marble pedestal, and made a large crack between _King Silver & Queen Blaze, _and my name, _Princess __Ember._

Before I knew it, I was sitting on top of a tower, my skirt catching on the broken shingles. My knees hugged tightly to my chest. I watched the lava flow in rivers down the broken city. There were still tears on my cheeks. Staying there and refusing to drip. It's like they were scared to fall to the shingles and immediately evaporate.

_Lies..._

_Lies..._

_Lies..._

This is all I could think about now.

_Is my whole life just a lie? I bet it is. Every corner I turn, it's just another lie..._

I felt a presence next to me and I looked up. Shadow was standing right next to me, his gaze fixed on the river of lava.

"Pretty nice view up here, huh?"

I didn't respond.

He sat down next to me and I kept hugging my knees.

"What's the matter Ember? You can tell me you know."

I shut my eyes and gritted my teeth, trying not to let tears flow. But they came nevertheless. I covered my eyes with my hands, shaking my head. "You would never understand..."

Shadow put his arm around my shoulders, and I kept my face covered. My cheeks were getting red and my ears were getting hot.

"Ember, I honestly don't know what you are going through. But from what has happened so far, I feel really bad for you."

I took my hands from my face and looked at him. "Why are you SORRY for me?"

He took my hand and I swear to god, I was blushing so much I probably looked like an apple. But, he didn't seem to notice.

"Because I would never have known what any of this feels like. The pressure this is putting on you looks seriously intense. You are a really nice girl, and I wish it wasn't like this for you."

I leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. Wiping away a tear from my eye, I made eye-contact with him. "Thank you... that's a first for me... you know, that someone actually cares."

He was rubbing his cheek, and he smiled. "You don't have to thank me, but I have a question."

I pricked up my ears. "Yes?"

"Why do you hate them so much for the thing they did?"

I paused and thought. I couldn't tell him, I just couldn't. He would understand, but it's too intense even for me.

I shook my head. "That's something for me to know and you to find out if they ever bring it up."

He stood up and pulled me up. "Well then, wanna go home?"

I sniffled and nodded. "You have no idea."

He put his arm around my back, and the other slid under my knees. He jumped off the tall tower, and landed firmly on the ground. 100 feet below.


End file.
